Name: Tres Leches Cake – Mexican Three Milk Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Mexican Food
Ingredients: 9 eggs, room temperature and separated; 125 grams / 2/3 cup superfine/caster sugar; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 320 grams / 2 cups plain flour; Three Milk Sauce; 397 milliliters (1 can) sweetened condensed milk; 340 milliliters evaporated milk; 250 milliliters / 1 cup milk; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; Topping; 300 milliliters / 1 1/4 cups heavy cream; 25 grams / 1/4 cup confectioners/icing sugar

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Tres Leches Cake - Mexican Three Milk Cake is best described as a light poke cake with a milky sauce. The actual texture is thanks to whipped eggs and minimal flour meaning you don't need much on hand to make a this cake! Have you tried Tres Leches before friends?

For most of us outside Central America or Mexico likely link Tres Leches with the taco loving land south of the United States, however, this recipe is much beloved in several countries along that Central American section and its so popular it finds itself being the national cake in more than one land.

Tres Leches is the ultimate crowd cake - it happily feeds a bunch of people and doesn't require any fancy ingredients. It is also great to make ahead, meaning you can get to preparing the main course for a gathering whilst this chills in the fridge.

Why you'll love this

Ultimate vanilla cake

The light sponge cake is full of vanilla flavors making it a classic.

Light and creamy

The three milk soak isn't heavy and a small slice will easily satisfy someone.

How to prepare Tres Leches Cake - Mexican Three Milk Cake

Whip the egg whites: Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Add the sugar: In stages, add a portion of the sugar to the egg whites until stiff peaks form and the sugar has dissolved.
Whip the yolks: Whip the egg yolks until pale and doubled in size and add in the vanilla extract.
Fold it: Fold the fluffy egg yolks into the egg whites.
Flour: Add the flour to the eggs and gently fold until combined.
Bake: Bake until golden and a skewer comes out clean, set aside to cool.
Poke it: Poke the cooled cake with a fork all over.
Tres leches time: Mix the three milks in a pourable bowl and slowly and steadily pour the mixture over the cake, allowing a minute or two for the milk to soak before pouring the remainder of the milks over.
Refrigerate: Set aside to soak fully.
Whip the cream: Whip the cream until soft peaks form and smear over the whole cake.
Serve: Slice and serve...dig in!

Tips for the best Tres Leches Cake - Mexican Three Milk Cake

Folding in the flour: Folding the flour into the whipped eggs is a slow process as the flour will clump up and you might have no visible patches of flour remaining on the edges of your bowl, but there might be portions remaining in the center of the batter.

Height of your cake: Tres Leches is typically not a high cake, a slice is usually 2-3 inches high and when you bake it at this height 25 minutes of baking should result in a skewer coming out clean.

Keeping the cake: Keep refrigerated when not serving, and this keep for up to 3 days (if everyone doesn't eat it swiftly).

More cakes you'll enjoy

Kladdkaka Cake – Swedish Fudge Cake

Upside Down Plum Passionfruit Cake

New York Cheesecake

How to make:

Grease a baking dish with butter and preheat the oven to 180°C/350F.

Place the egg whites into a bowl and whip until soft peaks form, for approximately 5 minutes with a hand beater.

Slowly add in the sugar a tablespoon or two at a time and beat further until the egg whites hold stiff peaks and they look slightly glossy (the sugar will have dissolved by this point).

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks until they have doubled in size and are a pale yellow, approximately 6 minutes with a hand beater.

Add in the vanilla extract to the egg yolks and beat a further minute to fully combine.

Fold the egg yolks into the egg whites gently, until fully combined.

Add in the flour and fold carefully and gently until a smooth batter has formed and no dry patches remain in the bowl.

Pour into your baking dish and smooth out to evenly spread over the whole baking dish.

Place in the oven and bake until lightly golden on top, approximately 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Remove and allow to cool fully in your baking tray.

To make the milk soak, place the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, milk and vanilla extract into a bowl and stir to combine.

Poke holes all over the top of the cake with a fork or skewer.

Carefully and evenly pour the three milks over the cake, allowing time for the mixture to sink in.

Refrigerate to soak in for at least 30 minutes.

Whip the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form and spread over the cake.

Slice and serve.